Social Care Practice Manager

Suffolk County Council; Bury St Edmunds; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

Suffolk County Council seeks a Practice Manager to lead the Forest Heath Social Care Team in Bury St Edmunds. This role offers the opportunity to guide social workers, ensure quality practice, and shape child service delivery within a supportive environment. With competitive pay, a commitment to staff development, and a variety of benefits, this position is ideal for an ambitious individual ready to make a positive impact.

Benefits

Up to 29 days annual leave entitlement

Membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme

Travel, lifestyle, health, and wellbeing benefits

Performance-related annual pay progression

Training and development opportunities

Diverse and active staff networks

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Minimum of 4 years post-qualifying experience in frontline or relevant childcare settings.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire a team of social workers.
• Champion high-quality practice and drive improvements.
• Make decisions on complex casework.

Skills

Leadership

Team Management

Decision Making

Motivational Skills

Innovation

Education

Social Work qualification

Social Work England registration

Job description

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.

Job Description

• Suffolk County Council - West Suffolk House, Bury St Edmunds IP33 3YU- Hybrid
• £52,120 - £57,025 per annum (pro rata if part time)
• 37 hours per week
• Permanent

When you join the Forest Heath Social Care Team as a Practice Manager, we'll support your development from the start. We'll help you to play to your strengths, diversify your skills and build an influential and impactful career. With a variety of career paths and learning opportunities to explore, if you're motivated and passionate there's no limit to how far your ambition could take you.

Reimagine the possibilities.

Your role and responsibilities

• Lead and inspire a team of two Consultant Social Workers and ten Social Workers, offering clear guidance, support, and supervision.
• Work collaboratively with three fellow Practice Managers, reporting directly to the Service Manager, to form a strong and united leadership team.
• Champion high-quality practice, motivating your team to achieve excellent outcomes and strive for continuous improvement.
• Make confident, well-informed decisions on complex casework, ensuring children and families receive timely and appropriate support.
• Drive the implementation of Signs of Safety across the service, modelling best practice and encouraging innovation.
• Place children and families at the centre of your work, ensuring their voices are heard and reflected in service planning and delivery.
• Build effective partnerships with a wide range of agencies, helping to shape and enhance the design and delivery of services.
• Represent the service at county-wide steering groups, contributing to the development of policy and practice across Suffolk.

You will need

• Social Work qualification.
• Social Work England registered.
• A minimum of 4 years post-qualifying experience in the front line or relevant childcare settings.

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (link below). If you think you have what it takes to be successful in this role, even if you don't meet all the requirements, please apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

The team

The Forest Heath Social Care Fieldwork Team delivers statutory services to children and families, including those undergoing Section 17 and Section 47 assessments. The team supports 'Children in Need', those subject to Child Protection Plans, and also provides consultancy across Family Support services.

For more information

For an informal discussion, please contact Charnine De'Ath by calling 07713 092894 or emailing CharnineDe'[e-mail]

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (docx).

Step 2 - Click 'Apply Now' to start your online application.

Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement answering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use the Supporting Statement template (docx).

1. The Families First Programme will see significant changes to children's social care in Suffolk. How would you ensure your team remained motivated and maintained high standards whilst adapting to these new ways of working?
2. Tell us about the importance of management information and performance data to you and how you use this in practice.
3. How do you ensure that your practice and that of your team is culturally sensitive and inclusive when working with families from diverse backgrounds? Provide a specific example of how you've adapted your approach.

We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences. Applications suspected of being generated by AI may be rejected. We ask you to present your own work and ideas throughout the application process.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to the application process before the next selection stage, please contact our Recruitment Team by emailing [e-mail] or calling 03456 014412. If you are invited to the next stage of selection, you will have another opportunity to request adjustments for the next stages of the process.

Closing date: 11.30pm, 08 July 2025

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.

About Us

As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We're driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.

In return, you'll enjoy:

• up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days
• membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits
• performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost-of-living pay increase
• training and encouragement to expand your knowledge
• a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation
• diverse and active staff networks
• flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day

Plus lots more!

If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk).